The Winter Wars
by andromaky
Summary: This is a story about how Jon Snow got help defeating the Others from an unlikely source: the SG-1 team.
1. Chapter 1: Jon

"Look at her chanting, as if that will save us from The Others,"

Dolorous Edd said to Jon, and spat at the frozen ground at his feet.

Jon watched Dolorous Edd walk away.

Jon was standing on top of the Wall. The wind was blowing hard at the top, and the snow was falling and piling up higher than ever. Jon's face was frozen and red and his fingers were losing feeling even though he was wearing heavy fur gloves. He watched as Melisandre chanted on top of the wall and marveled at the woman's inability to feel cold, as she was only clad in a red gown and nothing else, with only the red ruby choker to warm her throat. The red stone glowed.

She was on her knees in front of an ancient ruin. Since her discovery of this ruin three days ago, the Red Priestess had not left it for even a moment. Jon was not even sure if the woman ate in the last three days. The ruin was a massive stone ring with ancient writing on it, at least three stories high. It had been encased in the ice within the wall for many generations, but when the long summer came, even the ice on the Wall began to melt little by little and the melting revealed the large ring structure. Although half hidden by the ice, a table-like structure stood in front of the ring. It, too, was covered with ancient writing. Writing on both the ring and the table looked like symbols that someone had etched long ego into the stone.

Melisandre was obsessed with the ring upon her discovery of it. She was convinced that she could draw great power from it. She would stand over the table structure for hours and touch each symbol, running her fingers along the edges. She chanted day and night, lighting fires until more of the ice melted around the ring and the table structure. The wind and snow would put out her fires and yet she chanted. She wanted to make sacrifices to the ring in the name of R'hllor, but Jon refused her. She was determined, and Jon begrudgingly admired her determination.

Jon came up behind Melisandre. He watched her back hunched over her book of spells. Her shoulders moved up and down with exertion and he listened to her speak words he could not understand.

He cleared his throat.

"Perhaps it would be better to make your fire down in Castle Black?" Jon asked. "It will be less likely to be put out."

"No," Melisandre answered firmly. The red stone at her throat glowed brighter than Jon had ever seen before. He blinked, clearing the snow flakes that landed right in his eye. For a moment he could've sworn that the symbols on the table structure glowed. "Something is coming. I can feel it. Something, or someone, in the fires. People from far away are coming," Melisandre told him. Her brows drew together in a frown. She seemed confused, disoriented, almost in a daze. Jon felt slight concern for this strange woman from the foreign land for the first time since meeting her. Somehow she was different, unsure of herself.

Melisandre came with Stannis Baratheon when Stannis and his army came to aid Jon at the Wall. The Wall was under attack. The dead were coming back to life, attacking and killing his men. And something even more deadly was looming behind the Wall, something even more sinister. The dead came with only one purpose, to kill. And nothing could stop them except fire. But every day was getting colder and colder than the last and more snow was falling on the ground, piling up feet high. The fires were blown out by cold winds and the evil behind the Wall was threatening.

_Winter is coming._ Jon remembered his father's, Ned Stark's, words.

_Winter is already here_, he thought bitterly, _and I doubt we will survive this time_.

Jon did not know how he would feed his men and the Wildlings that came from beyond the Wall, scared and starving. They were huddled in make-shift camps and Jon didn't know if he would be able to help them. They were extra mouths to feed and Jon doubted that he wold be able to feed his own men.

Melisandre came with Stannis, but she stayed when he left, taking his army. She worshipped one god, R'hllor, the Lord of Light. She had converted Queen Selyse, Stannis's wife, to her strange religion, and Stannis soon followed, his banner men converting as well. She made him a believer by promising fortune that she saw in her fires, and upcoming victories. She promised him The Iron Throne.

After abandoning the Wall in his pursuit of The Iron Throne, Stannis went south. But Queen Selyse stayed with her Queensguard and her banner men and her crippled daughter, Shireen, and her fool. She stayed and she watched over, while Melisandre worshipped by her fire.

Melisandre had taken to Jon. She was very interested in him. She told him that she saw visions in her fires. But Jon did not trust this beautiful, foreign woman. He came to a realization that he was terrified of her, more terrified of her than what was beyond the Wall.

Suddenly the ancient ruin began to radiate energy. Jon and Melisandre both jumped a few steps back as the symbols on the large circle and on the table began to glow.

"What magic is this?" Dolorous Edd screamed, running forward and falling on his knees in the snow. Two of the Black Brothers that were on the Wall with them ran toward the sight, drawing their swords.

Jon looked at Melisandre. "What have you done, my lady?" he asked, trying to keep the terror out of his voice. He was the Lord Commander, he would not show fear in front of his men.

"It is as I saw it in the fires," Melisandre said, calmly, as if in a trance.

"Make it stop," Jon commanded.

"I cannot," the Red Priestess answered. "I don't control it. I just see visions and follow what the fires tell me. R'hllor is…"

Her words were drowned by the wind.

The circle began to vibrate and then it started to rotate. The symbols on the table and the ancient ruin began to glow and the spheres that made up the enormous ring were rotating, turning left, then right, then left again, on their own. Jon and the others stood mesmerized.

Jon glanced at Melisandre and watched the Red Priestess' lips curve upwards.

A bright liquid filled the empty space inside the circle. It was glowing and reflecting light off of itself, almost like real water. But it could not be.

Jon and the others stood for what seemed like hours, unable to look away from the terrifying sight. And then some strange metal object with wheels emerged from the liquid.

The two men fell to their knees, swords still drawn.

Jon studied this strange metal object intently, cautiously. Not sure what to expect next. He did not even notice that his own sword was drawn. He was ready for attack from whatever this new adversary was.

The metal object moved on its own, the wheels moving forward. A ray of red light glowed from what looked like a glass window in the middle of the metal box and pointed at Jon, then the metal box wheeled around in a circle, as if it was surveying its surroundings. The light that was pointing at Jon moved, a line pointing at the snow covered floor where the metal object seemed to be looking.

The object wheeled around and disappeared back into the liquid wall where it came from.


	2. Chapter 2: Melisandre

Melisandre looked at the Event Horizon and smiled.

The Stargate activated!

All these years of being exiled on this planet and she might actually be free again to travel to other worlds as she did in the past. It was all she could do to contain her excitement.

After being exiled to this backwards planet, she had spent decades looking for a way off. With no technology from her own world and her human body weakened, she searched for the Stargate, her sole escape off this planet and its harsh elements. She had almost lost all hope of finding the Stargate and had resigned herself to living out her days here. She knew the Lanteans have visited this planet, as evident by the humanoid population that has grown and flourished as a civilization on this planet. The Stargate must exist on this planet, of this she was sure. So many years and she finally found the Stargate, on the Wall. It was encased in ice and inactive but she lit her fires every day since her find until the gate thawed enough to be activated.

Every day she prayed that the ice would thaw enough and that she would find the Stargate to be functional. Her very life depended on it. Otherwise her salvation would turn into her demise. The Wall was the most dangerous place for her kind and every minute more that she spent here would be bringing her closer and closer to her doom. Her enemy was just on the other side of the Wall, of this she was certain.

"What sorcery is this?" Jon Snow asked Melisandre, drawing his sword. She could tell he was terrified, even though he hid it well.

Melisandre had not counted on the Stargate activating from the outside. Something was coming from the other side and the unknown did not leave her without cause for concern. She steeled herself for what was to come, who was to come, and turned to Jon Snow. She must not betray her knowledge of the Stargate and what it could do. Perhaps her very life depended on her not being discovered for what she really was.

"This is not my doing," Melisandre answered.

Jon was not listening to her. Jon and the rest of the men on the Wall were staring at the Stargate's Event Horizon in terror. A small robot in the shape of a box, which Melisandre deduced it to be a probe, emerged from the portal and started scanning the surroundings. Everyone was standing with their swords drawn and ready to defend themselves, anticipating what this unnknown object would do next. The probe finished scanning and turned around, disappearing into the portal.

Everyone stood in anticipation, which did not last long. Soon a figure clad in black protective gear and armed with some sort of a weapon emerged from the portal. It was a humanoid male from what Melisandre could tell. Five more humanoids clad in identical gear emerged and stood in front of the Stargate, weapons drawn and pointed at the Black Brothers.

One of the newcomers, a female humanoid with short blonde hair like a man, walked forward and opened her mouth to say something. She did not get a chance as her voice was drowned by the screams of a Black Brother charging forward to attack. He did not get very far as loud noises rang out and the next thing he knew, the attacker was lying on the ground, his sword lying next to him. The female discharged her weapon and shot at her attacker's feet. It did not appear that the weapon actually did any damage, Melisandre assessed.

The Black Brothers were standing, staring at the newcomers with astonishment and terror. They were ready to defend themselves, all of them with swords drawn. The female humanoid held out her hand and said, "Stop, we are friends," quickly putting her weapon down on the ground and putting her hands up in the air. "Can you understand me? We mean you no harm."

Jon held out his hands in the air, turning to the other Black Brothers and screamed, "Stop, do not attack!" as he finally came out of his terrified stupor. He quickly turned back to the newcomers, his sword still drawn in his right hand.

"Great, they speak English," the male newcomer said, still holding his weapon pointed at the Black Brothers.

"The Others came to take us!" a Black Brother yelled behind him, running away in fear. Jon did not pay attention to this. All his attention was focused on these six unwelcome visitors who came through the portal.

"Who are you?" Jon asked, cautiously approaching the blonde female.

"We mean you no harm," the blonde female answered quickly. "I only shot this man because he was going to attack me. But we are friends. We are just like you. Human."

Melisandre stood quietly, observing this exchange and studying the visitors intently. Their form of dress and the weapons they carried did not remind her of any planet she had visited in the past.

Jon narrowed his eyes at the words that came out of the female's mouth. He understood what she was saying. She looked like any other woman, a beautiful woman, but her hair was short like a man's and she was wearing men's clothing. The other five visitors were male and dressed in identical black clothing.

Melisandre stood quietly, studying these humanoid visitors.

"What are you doing here?" Jon asked.

"We are explorers," the woman continued, smiling at Jon reassuringly. "I'm sorry I shot at your friend. He was going to attack and he had an awfully big sword. I hope he is not hurt. We do not mean you harm." The female paused to make sure that everyone was listening, and continued when she saw Jon nod. "We come from another world that is connected to yours though this portal, which we call the Stargate," she motioned behind her to the Stargate.

"We made contact with the native," one of her frinds spoke into a communication device. "Close the gate."

Behind her, the Event Horizon disappeared, signaling that the Stargate was closed. Some of the Black Brothers jumped back but remained silent, listening to the woman talk. "We are here to exchange information, and perhaps trade with your world if you would like. We can offer you medicine to treat your sickness..."

Melisandre saw Jon visibly relax as the threat of attack had passed.

"I am Jon Snow, I am the commander here," Jon Snow stepped forward, accepting the peace offering from these visitors.

"My name is Samantha Carter," the female identified herself, "and this is Colonel Jack O'Neill, Doctor Daniel Jackson, Teal'c, Lieutenant Taylor and Brennan," she pointed out each of her friends and identified them by their names.

Melisandre drew her breath in sharply as the visitor Samantha Carter identified as Teal'c stepped forward and Melisandre was able to see the markings on this forehead that identified him as Jaffa.


	3. Chapter 3: Samantha

"We made contact with the natives," Colonel Jack O'Neill spoke into the radio. "Close the gate."

The gate deactivated, closing the portal between Earth and planet H45-366 in the Sumran Galaxy.

Major Samantha Carter was surveying her surroundings. She had put away her recently discharged weapon and was cautiously approaching the man who called himself Jon Snow, her bare hands raised in a friendly gesture. The temperature had to be well below freezing. Her hands were already feeling the cold, and her face began to go numb. Her boots were covered in fresh snow.

The natives were all wearing heavy coats made from animal fur or some sort of wool material. All of the men had their swords drawn, ready to attack. The man who charged at her was lying on the ground in pain. Although the bullets from her weapon landed at his feet, she surmised that he might have twisted his ankle when he fell. Samantha aimed at his feet in her attempt to fend off his attack. Samantha quickly reassured the natives that they were friends, here to explore new worlds, and introduced the rest of her team. The natives did not look like they believed her for a minute.

"I am Commander Jon Snow," the man in charge identified himself, putting away his sword in a show of acceptance. "These are my men, my sworn brothers," he drew his hand to point at the other men standing behind him, "and this is Lady Melisandre," he said, introducing the sole woman standing next to him.

Sam's attention was drawn immediately to the woman introduced as Lady Melisandre. After the initial shock of contact wore off, all of her attention focused on that single female human standing behind Commander Snow. The woman was dressed in all red; red dress to the ground, red hair, red chocker with a red glowing stone covering her neck. She was also the only one who was not dressed in heavy clothes. The red stood out even more against Lady Melisandre's flawless white skin. The woman stood firmly, not a shiver from her in this freezing weather, looking straight ahead. Sam noted that Lady Melisandre's attention focused on Teal'c as soon as Sam introduced him and Teal'c stepped forward. She could have sworn that a shimmer of recognition passed in Lady Melisandre's eyes.

"What do you want?" Commander Jon Snow approached Sam and her team.

As he got closer, Sam was shocked at how young Commander Snow was. He had to still be in his teens!

"We come in peace," Sam reiterated.

"We are explorers from another world. We were able to come here though the Stargate," Daniel Jackson said, coming to stand beside Samantha and gesturing to the Stargate behind her, "which was built by a race called The Ancients thousands of years ago to allow travel between worlds. The Ancients were a very advanced race that were able to travel between worlds and populated these worlds with humans. My team has been able to use the Stargate on our world to travel and make contact with other civilizations like yours. Our goal is to trade information and resources so we can learn and benefit from each other…"

"We don't want to hurt you," Samantha cut Daniel off. If allowed, Daniel Jackson would have kept talking about the history of the Ancients and the Stargate and the galaxies for another two to three hours and they did not have the time. They needed to get the natives to trust them fast, preferably before they decided to continue attacking them with their sharp swords, and she could see they were already losing their interest. She added quickly, "Perhaps we can offer you help?"

Commander Jon Snow was sizing up Sam intently. Sam shuddered as another strong gust of wind blew by, depositing snow in her short hair.

"You came through this _Stargate_?" Commander Jon Snow asked, pointing to the Stargate behind her. "Did you come from across the Narrow Sea?"

"Oh, we came a bit farther than that," Colonel O'Neill said. Sam couldn't see Colonel's expression since he was standing behind her, but she could tell that he was smirking. Colonel O'Neal's snarky remarks got him into trouble on more than one occasion. Samantha only hoped that he would refrain from offending any of the natives and put them all in danger.

"As I said, the Stargate is usually used to travel from one planet to another…" Daniel started, but stopped, realizing that such information might be beyond the understanding of this primitive civilization. They had to treat cautiously else the natives will decide they were witches and try to burn them, as it happened on the planet D48-897. The planet was also in the Sumran Galaxy and had not been touched by the Goa'uld, and its people had no contact with advanced technology. In such cases, one had to be very careful what and how things were said as to not overwhelm and turn the natives against you before you had a chance to earn their trust.

Commander Jon Snow looked at Daniel Jackson in confusion. Sam could see that the information was too much for him and he was trying very hard to process everything. Another gust of snow/wind mix blew by and Sam could not control her shiver.

"Perhaps we can discuss this somewhere a little bit warmer?" Sam asked. "I'm afraid we are not dressed appropriately for this weather. Our probe gave us the local temperature reading but we didn't account for the wind chill factor and our suits are not enough to shield us from the elements of your world." Sam realized that she threw too many words at Jon when he narrowed his eyes in confusion at her mention of the MALP.

"The wind… chill?" Jon asked.

"We will explain everything but please can we get inside?" Sam asked.

"Of course," Jon said, turning around to lead the way to Castle Black. Then he turned his head and said, "Leave your weapons."

The team placed the weapons next to the Stargate to be guarded by two men and followed Jon. Thankfully they all had back-up guns and knives hidden on them. Sam was not concerned that the weapons they left for "safe-keeping" would be used against them. The odds that these men would figure out how to work a semi-automatic weapon were zero.

The SG-1 team, Commander Jon Snow and Lady Melisandre walked to what appeared to be a lift made of wood and operated by pulleys. Sam and Colonel O'Neill stepped into the lift with Jon Snow and Lady Melisandre and were pulled down to the ground below. The lift was operated by manpower. Samantha closed her eyes as the ground below came closer. She felt a little uneasy. The ropes did not look strong enough to hold weight of four people and this wooden lift contraption. Sam exhaled when the lift touched the ground and she stepped out. The rest of the team followed.

They were following Commander Jon Snow to what he called The Castle Black when a huge white beast appeared out of nowhere. It ran past Jon Snow and straight at them. The beast was a sight. It looked like a wolf, but twice the size of any wolf she has seen back on Earth.

Sam heard Colonel O'Neill curse behind her and Jon Snow yell, "Ghost, stop!"

The command to heel was not necessary. The huge beast did not follow through on the threat of an attack. Instead it stopped right in front of Sam, bared its huge teeth, and proceeded to sniff her. Sam stood still for a few moments but relaxed when she sensed that the danger had passed.

"I'm sorry if Ghost scared you," Jon Snow said, apologetically. "He is my direwolf. He has saved my life more than once."

"A direwolf," Sam said, smiling, "how fascinating." She reached out her hand to cautiously pet the huge direwolf on the top of its head. Up close the direwolf creature looked just as ferocious as it had when it advanced on them, but as she looked into its large eyes, she somehow knew that he would not attack her. "Good dog, good dog," she said, still patting the top of Ghost's head.

"I see Ghost does not think you are a danger," Jon Snow continued. "This is a good sign. I believe you do not mean us any harm. Ghost would have sensed if you were dangerous."

"Well, that's good to hear," Colonel O'Neill said sarcastically. "Just out of curiosity, what would you have done if Ghost decided to attack?"

"If Ghost decided to attack, there is nothing I would be able to do…" Jon Snow shrugged his shoulders.

"Oh, I don't like the sound of that," Colonel O'Neill muttered, following the SG-1 team into the Castle Black.


	4. Chapter 4: Jon

Jon did not know what to do. He was not entirely sure whether he could trust these strange new visitors from another place who traveled here and were now walking behind him to Castle Black. They were dressed strangely, spoke strangely, and carried weapons that made loud noises. Ghost's behavior reassured him that he could trust these people and, in fact, they meant no harm.

The woman who herself Samantha, was walking beside him. Despite her manly garb, she was very beautiful. Jon judged this Samantha Carter to be much older than he is, at least past twenty-five, perhaps even over thirty name days, yet her form was strong and supple. Her face was clear of any fine lines and she did not exhibit the frailty that most women would begin to show after counting thirty name days. Jon admitted to himself that he did not know all that many women, especially over thirty. Lady Catelyn, his father's wife, was several years over thirty, and he remembered her face was lined with age, her body thin and weary from several childbirths and harsh Northern life. He recalled Septa Mordane, who was very old, perhaps over fifty, had many wrinkles on her face and she was round and soft. Queen Cersei was one of the few Southron ladies Jon had glimpsed at when King Robert came to Winterfell. He was told to not show his face as not to offend the southerners. After all, Jon Snow was a bastard. The Queen and the spoiled Southern ladies Jon had glimpsed from afar. He recalled their unlined faces and soft, supple curves and high breasts. Perhaps this Samantha Carter was also some kind of a lady from a place far away, with an easy life and nothing to worry about.

Jon glanced at Samantha Carter again. _No, _he thought to himself, _she is a warrior_. He had never met a woman who was skilled in the art of battle or, aside from his little sister Arya, could handle weapons or even wanted to. But Samantha was such a woman, this he knew for certain. Jon's thoughts had unwittingly turned to Ygritte. _You know nothing, Jon Snow._

"Hi, I'm Daniel Jackson," one of the strange men came up to Jon and offered him his hand for a handshake. Jon awkwardly shook hands with this stranger. Daniel Jackson had something on his face, thin metal that hooked behind his ears and framed two round glass circles that were positioned in front of his eyes. Daniel Jackson used his index finger to push the metal connector up his nose to readjust the frames.

"What is this?" Jon asked, motioning to the glass circles.

"Oh, these are my glasses," Daniel Jackson answered. "Glasses help me see. They help focus things that are far away and make them look clearer."

"So you would squint if you did not have these _glasses_," Jon said.

"Yes."

Daniel Jackson smiled. Unable to help himself, Jon smiled back. It has been a long time since he smiled, he realized with sadness.

"Daniel, you wanted to ask Jon Snow something," Samantha Carter said.

"Ah, yes," Daniel Jackson said. "I was talking to this nice fellow," he motioned to Dolorous Edd, "and he said that you have a library where one can find books about the history of Westeros. I very much wanted to see it."

"Dolour Edd can take you there, but several books are written in different languages and even if you know how to read in the Common Tongue, you will not be able to understand the books written in the old Tongue," Jon said helpfully. "Maester Aemon could read the Old Tongue, but he left."

"I study languages and I might be able to decipher what was written," Daniel said.

"Very well," Jon nodded in agreement. He did not like these strange people walking around Castle Black with no supervision, but they had weapons unlike he had ever seen and they were offering help. He needed to be civil and wait for them to reveal their true intentions. He motioned for Dolorous Edd and told him to take Daniel Jackson to the library, as well as asked several of his brothers to escort Daniel Jackson.

The man Samantha Carter called Colonel Jack O'Neill came with Daniel Jackson as well, saying that he wanted to be there in case there was any trouble.

"Thank you for letting him go explore," Samantha said. "He loves to study different cultures and histories so much. By the way, would you mind if I ask you something," she hesitated, looking at Jon and continued after she saw him nod, "who is Lady Melisandre?"

Jon had seen Samantha Carter sizing up Lady Melisandre suspiciously and was not surprised to hear the question.

"Lady Melissandre is a Priestess from Asshai, she believes in one God, the Lord of Light," Jon explained. "She came here with Lord Stannis Baratheon when he and his army came to help us defend the Wall against the Wildlings and the Others."

"Who are the Wildlings and the Others?" Samantha asked.

"The free folk that live beyond the Wall," Jon explained. "It is to protect against them and the Others that the Wall was built by Brandon the Builder," he added.

"You keep mentioning the Others," Samantha said. "Who are these Others? Are they human like the Wildlings?"

"No," Jon Snow answered. "They are not human."

* * *

Several hours later, in the Great Hall, after the visitors were fed with a thick stew of beef and barley, bread and wine to wash it down, Jon Snow was ready to sit down and discuss their mission here.

Jon led them to a smaller room, where only he and four of the visitors were alone. Jon had Ghost at his side. Daniel Jackson, Samantha Carter, Colonel Jack O'Neill and Teal'c were with him. Melisandre was left in the Great Hall. Jon knew that the Red Priestess was seething with anger because he refused to let her come with him to talk to the visitors. He could have sworn her eyes glowed red.

"There are texts written in the language of the Ancients," Daniel Jackson said to his team. He could hardly contain the excitement in his voice.

Daniel Jackson, having come back from the library, started talking about their mission.

They called themselves the SG-1 team, and they were explorers. Daniel Jackson talked of other worlds and portals between time and space and it was hard to follow him. Thankfully, Samantha Carter interrupted Daniel Jackson as she realized that what Daniel was saying was not making sense to Jon.

"Daniel," Samantha said, "your explanation to Commander Jon Snow about who we are, is based on the assumption that he and his men know of what the Stargate is and how to operate it. From what I've seen, they possess no such knowledge. Perhaps we can ask them what they do know about the Stargate and the people who built it first and go from there?"

"Yes, maybe that's a good idea," Daniel Jackson agreed, pushing his glasses up his nose.

Samantha Carter looked straight at Jon with her piercing blue eyes and said, "Please, tell me more about the Wall and the Others and your purpose here."

"What you see here are the men of the Night's Watch. We are a military order dedicated to holding the Wall, which protect the northern border of the Seven Kingdoms. Once we get down, you will be able to see plenty of women in the Wildling camp set up."

Jon told them about the Seven Kingdoms and about how Brandon the Builder built the Wall to protect the people of the realm from what lay beyond. He told them about his brothers and the battles they fought beyond the wall with the undead things with blue eyes.

"The dead rise again and they have blue eyes?" the man with dark skin and markings on his forehead asked. Jon remembered that Samantha Carter called him Teal'c. "They do not bleed?" Jon sensed the alarm in the man's voice. The hair at the back of Jon's neck stood up. The man named Teal'c did not give the impression of losing calm easily.

"You have seen this before?" Samantha asked, turning to Teal'c.

"Yes," Teal'c answered. "If the Others are what I believe they are, and they bring the dead back to life in this manner, then this world is in grave danger."


	5. Chapter 5: Teal'c

Teal'c sat quietly, contemplating his surroundings.

This civilization was relatively primitive. They used swords and knives for weapons. After spending some time in the library of Castle Black, Daniel Jackson concluded that this civilization was in the stage of development akin to the feudal system that was established in Europe in the Middle Ages on planet Earth. As Teal'c was not native to planet Earth, he did not know exactly what Daniel Jackson was talking about. He made a mental note to study the history of Europe when he got back from this mission. Earth's history and culture fascinated Teal'c and he was happy to learn more about a planet that he now called his home.

Commander Jon Snow was a boy in his teens; Teal'c listened closely as Jon Snow explained the role of the Night's Watch. He explained why The Wall was built and about the Wildlings that lived north of the Wall who called themselves the free people. The Wall was built by Brandon the Builder. And it was put in place to protect the realm of the Seven Kingdoms from the North.

After seeing the Ancients' writings in the Library of Castle Black, Teal'c and Daniel concluded that Brandon the Builder was an Ancient. The Wall was built to protect the natives from the dangers that lay beyond The Wall and Teal'c suspected it was built as a barrier against something more sinister than just some free people.

However, for the moment, Teal'c was more concerned about what lay on this side of the Wall than what lay beyond. After meeting Lady Melissandre, he was positive that Lady Melissandre was a Goa'uld. But he needed more time to be absolutely sure and to learn her intentions.

"Commander Snow," Teal'c heard Sam conversing with Jon Snow. "Has anyone seen The Others?"

"Yes," Jon answered. "Our brother, Samwell Tarly, claims to have killed one of The Others with a sword made of dragon glass. The creature dissolved into thin air."

Jack O'Neill perked up, sitting up in his chair. Colonel Jack O'Neill had been fidgeting in the big, uncomfortable wooden chair and had started to slump, despite his military training. "Dragon glass. Does this mean there are dragons?"

"The dragons lived here several generations ago. The Targaryen kings and queens were able to control them and fly but they are now all dead, as well as the Targaryens," Jon answered gravely.

"The Targaryens were kings in this land?" Daniel asked.

"The Targaryens ruled the Seven Kingdoms for many centuries."

Teal'c observed that Daniel's question made Jon uncomfortable. Samantha noticed this, too and quickly circled back to the matter at hand.

"Can we speak to your brother Samwell Tarly?" Samantha asked politely.

"Samwell is gone now. He left with Master Aemon."

Teal'c listened.

"Teal'c," Samantha turned to Teal'c. "You said you might know what The Others are."

"I am afraid this world is in desperate need of our help. This force, I believe they call The Others, is evil. They need to be stopped. They are as old as the Ancients and if they are trapped on this planet then we need to keep them away from the Stargate at all cost."

Teal'c spent some time explaining that he believed this world was facing danger from an alien force that he had only heard of before. This world was facing a very dangerous, ancient race of parasites that had conquered and destroyed many planets in the past. He did, however, omit one very important fact about The Others from his description, for the benefit of Commander Jon Snow.

"It has been too long and we have to go back," Daniel reminded the SG-1 team.

"We will have to brief General Hammond and decide how to proceed," Colonel Jack O'Neill said, getting up. He looked uncomfortable. The large wooden chair creaked and O'Neill looked back at it in contempt. "If this world is in danger and these _Others_ can get to the Stargate then we are all in danger. We will have to figure out how we can stop them."

"Commander Snow," Samantha turned to Jon Snow with a reassuring smile, "you have given us much information in trust and we will not betray it. We made a promise to you that we will help and we will. We need to go back to your headquarters and brief the Stargate team. But we will come back and we will bring back weapons and resources to help you."

Jon Snow looked gravely at Samantha.

Teal'c was impressed with this Commander Jon Snow. This boy was a commander at such a young age, he had to grow up and face unspeakable evil. _No_, Teal'c thought, _he is no boy. He is a man and we will help him face this evil together._

"You will bring more of these weapons that _shoot bullets_?" Jon Snow asked.

"We might even bring weapons that can explode things," Colonel Jack O'Neill interjected. "We are going to make The Others wish they never came from wherever they came from."

"We will help you, Commander Snow," Samantha said. "But we do need you to do something for us. You said The Others make the dead come back to life. Would it be possible for us to take a look at one such body? Perhaps we can take this body back to our headquarters and we can have our doctor examine it?"

Jon looked down, breaking eye contact with Samantha. "We do not have any bodies to show. The dead that are reanimated can only be stopped if they are burned by fire."

"Oh," Samantha said, disappointed. "I understand. Then maybe we can have a sample of this dragon glass you mentioned."

"We have a chest that Samwell found full of weapons made from dragon glass," Jon answered. "I can give you a knife from the chest to take with you."

"That would be wonderful," Samantha said. "To examine it would be very helpful."

After some more discussion, the SG-1 team left Castle Black to go back to the Stargate.

Commander Jon Snow went with the SG-1 team to see them off. Teal'c asked that Lady Melissandre does not come. Jon Snow said that the Red Priestess was a trusted ally and he saw no reason to be so cautious around her.

"I think it would be best to keep Lady Melissandre away from the Stargate until we are assured that she is no danger to the Stargate," Teal'c answered. "I have my reasons for this request. I only ask that you trust me with this until my team comes back with more information."

Teal'c did not want Lady Melissandre to see the SG-1 team input the coordinates for Earth into the Stargate. He did not trust the Red Priestess.

Jon Snow wanted to know why Teal'c was so suspicious of the Red Priestess but complied with Teal's request.


	6. Chapter 6: Daniel

"This civilization we have discovered is very similar to Europe in the Middle Ages." Daniel was briefing the SG-1 team in the command center of the SG-1 headquarters. He waited for the nod from General Hammond before he continued. "From the natives we were able to gather a relative structure of their government system."

A holograph of the map of Westeros appeared in the center of the room. The image hovered over the table, giving the team an impressive view of the topography of the region.

"The probe has not had a chance to fly across what the natives call the Narrow Sea, which would take a few more days. After it returns to the Stargate, we will be able to map that region as well and get a better picture of what we are dealing with."

"The natives call their region Westeros. And from what we gather, they are at war."

Everyone was quiet as Daniel continues with the briefing. "They have a feudal system in place, where there is one king, residing in the south," the red dot of his laser pointer landed at the bottom of the holograph, where _King's Landing _was located on the map, "with different feudal lords in charge of certain regions of Westeros. Feudalism was introduced to Westeros by the Andals, who came across The Narrow Sea with their traditions and is practiced within the united kingdom they call The Seven Kingdoms. This society is based on a rigid social structure and government consisted of kings, lords, knights, and peasants. These lordships are for the most part self-sufficient and provide for the people that live on their land. The lords swear fealty to one king. Nobles rule over the small folk within their territory through a system of fealty and sworn oaths, in this system each man owes military service to his lord in return for protection, a grant of land, and the peasants to work it."

It has been an hour since the SG-1 team returned from the reconnaissance mission, and everyone was eager to discuss the discoveries from this new mission. The new information coming in from the probes sent out to gather information was exciting to hear for everyone. They finally found a world with a civilization similar to the one on Earth. These people were still relatively primitive, they did not discover electricity and still fought with swords made of steel, but the similarities between the Earth history during the Middle Ages and Westeros were astounding. As a scientist, Dr. Daniel Jackson was fascinated with this new civilization and its history to the point of obsession.

"And you tell me this country of Westeros is at war?" General Hammond asked, encouraging Daniel to continue.

"Westeros is the continent where the Stargate is located," Daniel corrected the General quickly, "and this feudal system has established borders with The Seven Kingdoms. The previous king died and his 13-year-old son is now the king. The king's brothers, the new king's uncles, tried to take the throne. His younger brother, Renly and the elder brother Stannis both tried to legitimize their claim to the throne and each of them raised a substantial army. There were also two other lords, one in the North of the Seven Kingdoms, and one from the region in the Seven Kingdoms which are called The Iron Islands, who raised armies and also tried to claim the throne. Stannis Baratheon lost a big battle at King's Landing and retreated. Renly is dead. The other two lords have also been defeated."

"Fascinating," General Hammond commented, truly engrossed in the story.

"Not so fascinating when you are being attacked by the natives who are charging at you with swords," Colonel O'Neal interjected.

"As I mentioned, this civilization is relatively primitive compared to ours," Daniel said. "But I believe we have much to learn from them, and perhaps if we help them, we can take advantage of their resources."

"Dr. Jackson, are you suggesting we get involved in the war that has been going on within this Kingdom?" General Hammond asked, narrowing his eyes.

Colonel O'Neal smiled and quickly said, "Daniel has been so intent on recounting the history of Westeros to you that he forgot to mention one very important issue. Hang on, General, I think you will want to hear what he has to say next."

General Hammond looked at Dr. Daniel Jackson expectantly.

Daniel fixed the glasses on his nose with his index finger and continued his report. "Yes, I did not get to our most important discovery."

"Well, get on with it then," General Hammond said.

"The Stargate is located on top of The Wall, which is in the utmost Northern part of the region of the Seven Kingdoms," Daniel shifted the laser pointer to point to the northern region of the holographic map, labeled _The Wall_. "This is where the region of the Seven Kingdoms borders with the ungoverned territory. This is a large wall, which was built to protect the Seven Kingdoms from the dangers posed by the elements and people populating the territory outside the Wall. The people living on the other side of the Wall are called the Wildlings and they do not recognize the laws and the government of the Seven Kingdoms. They are for the most part self-governing, but also elect one king to lead them. In their case the king wins his kingship through force. The Wall is under command of the Sworn Brotherhood of the Night's Watch, who spend most of their time dealing with the human Wildlings living beyond the Wall and protecting the realm from attacks that may come from their side. These men are mostly convicts or second sons with no prospects of land and swear fealty at the Wall and get a second chance. Some of these men come of their choice, some are forced, with no other choice but to pay for whatever crimes they committed through execution. Once they swear the oath to serve in the Night's Watch and wear the black, they cannot leave. All deserters are executed. The Night's Watch sends out rangers to patrol the lands North of the Wall and to alert them of anything that might pose danger to the Wall, and in turn, the realm of The Seven Kingdoms."

"Still didn't get to the best part," Colonel O'Neal said, smiling.

General Hammond was getting impatient. "Please get on with it, Dr. Jackson."

"Right," Daniel said, nervously. "So the Night's Watch does not get involved in the disputes of the Seven Kingdoms. They stay impartial, for the most part. Their job is to protect the Wall. Right now the Wall is under attack from without. At first, the Night's Watch believed that the danger posed was from the Wildlings living beyond the Wall. The man in charge of the Night's Watch, the 998th Lord Commander, Jon Snow, briefly told us of what has been happening at the Wall and what he believes they are facing. The Wildlings are evacuating the lands beyond the Wall and are now living in camps they have made within the protection of the Wall. They appear to be running from some evil forces that they call The Others. No one has actually ever seen these Others, but from what Jon Snow told us, the Others possess the ability to reanimate corpses of people they kill and in fact, he has had to fight such an army of reanimated corpses."

"Zombies," Colonel O'Neal clarified with a big smile on his face, acknowledging his own excitement upon this particular discovery. "They are fighting zombies. But unlike the zombies we have come to know and love in the movies, these zombies cannot be stopped by a simple blow to the head. They have to be killed with fire. Thankfully they don't want to eat you, their mission is to attack and kill."

"Zombies?" General Hammond asked in disbelief.

"Reanimated corpses," Daniel corrected.

"And have you seen these reanimated corpses?" General Hammond asked.

"Unfortunately all remains of the corpses have been destroyed by fire," Samantha Carter said. "I would have been very interested in bringing one such corpse back to the lab for an autopsy."

"Sam and Teal'c believe that some sort of alien technology might be turning these corpses into zombies," Colonel O'Neal interjected.

"Reanimated corpses, not zombies," Daniel corrected, exasperated at Colonel O'Neal's obvious disregard to the importance and danger of this discovery. "And yes, although the natives believe this reanimation to be the work of some mythical creatures they call The Others, Teal'c has seen this before when he was enslaved by the Goa'uld."

Teal'c nodded in agreement.

"Teal'c, is this Goa'uld technology?" General Hammond asked.

"No, I do not believe it is," Teal'c said quietly. "To confirm, I would need to see one of these reanimated corpses, but from the description we were given I believe this is the work of an alien force that has been the enemy of the Goa'uld. They are called the Tironi. The Tironi use their enemy's dead against them by reanimating the corpses and using them to attack. These reanimated corpses are cold, their bodies devoid of any blood, and they can be identified by their glowing blue eyes. They can only be stopped by incineration. Cutting off their limbs or removing the head does not work, since the body will keep moving without the head."

"These reanimated corpses fit the description we were given by the natives," Daniel confirmed.

"And there were no traces of Goa'uld found on this particular world?" General Hammond asked.

"Well…" Colonel O'Neal smiled again. "As I said, Daniel didn't get to the best part yet."

The General looked at Daniel Jackson expectantly.

Daniel was clearly exasperated at all the interruptions. "I was getting to that." He looked at General Hammond wide eyed and the General nodded as if to apologize for all the interruptions and added an encouraging "Go on."

"Ok, then," Daniel continued his report. "The Seven Kingdoms are in a civil war. Different lordships fighting over who gets control of the throne, and of this kingdom. You can review the history of this region in my detailed report." He looked around the room, clearly still annoyed that he had to cut his recount of the Westerosi history short. Daniel Jackson was an archeologist by profession and the intricate history of Westeros, its history and laws, fascinated him. "So while all this is happening in the South, the Wall is being attacked from the North. To aid the depleted forces at the Wall, one of the pretenders to the throne, Stannis Baratheon, takes his army and goes to the Wall. Stannis helps the Black Brothers stave off the attacks of these reanimated corpses and while he himself leaves to pursue another mission, he leaves some of his troops to help protect the Wall. Among the people Stannis left behind is his wife, Queen Selise, and a foreign woman who has become his confidante, Lady Melisande."

"Melisande is a Goa'uld," Colonel interjected impatiently.

"What?" General Hammond asked, instantly on alert. "And at what point of your historical lecture, Dr. Jackson, were you on planning on mentioning this important piece of information to me?"

"I was getting to that," Daniel said, apologetically. "Lady Melisande poses no threat that we could detect," he quickly added. "She is alone and holds no position of power."

"She holds power," Colonel O'Neal disagreed. "She was Lord Stannis' trusted confidante. She convinced people who have been following a polytheistic religion to follow one God, R'ohl. She is most definitely dangerous. Daniel is just not thinking with his brain."

Listening to O'Neal and Jackson gave Samantha a headache. It was time to put an end to this.

"Now, now, boys, no point in exchanging snarky remarks," Sam spoke up. "General Hammond," she turned to the General, "what Colonel O'Neal is trying to say is that this woman, this Goa'uld residing in the body of a woman, calling herself Lady Melisande, has begun a conversion in Westeros, starting with this Lord Stannis. She wanted everyone to worship one God, who she calls the God of Light, R'ohl. I believe she is trying to start this religion and then ascend and take power for herself, just as Ra had done in Egypt. She is most certainly dangerous." Sam paused, waiting for her words to sink in. "But at present, she poses no threat," Sam continued. "She is alone. She does not appear to keep contact with the Goa'uld on other planets. She was passing herself as human and was surprised when we discovered what she was, and most certainly she could not hide her surprise that we knew what she was. She wears a choker around her neck to hide the scar the creature made when it entered and took over her body. But she is not hostile. She is also truly afraid of the Tironi and asked us for help in defeating them. I believe that the imminent threat to this world right now is not the Goa'uld, but the Tironi. We have to help the Northerners defeat them, and make sure that they cannot spread their evil forces to other planets. We can deal with this lone Goa'uld later."


End file.
